Many materials have been used as bedding material for animals. Straw is commonly used as bedding material for horses and other domestic animals. However, other materials such as sawdust, wood shavings, rice hulls and sugar cane have been used to a limited extent.
It has also been suggested to utilize shredded waste paper, e.g. old newspapers, for horse stall bedding. The advantages of using shredded waste paper are that waste paper material is used which would otherwise have to be discarded or recycled and old newspapers are inexpensive. However, shredded waste paper is generally undesirable for bedding material because it tends to mat and poses a disposal problem. Therefore, straw has remained the preferred bedding material because of its historical use for this purpose and its low cost.
The characteristics which are important for a satisfactory bedding material for animals, include absorbency, cleanliness, and appearance. In addition, such materials should be nontoxic and dust and lint free, as well as easy to handle. The ability to easily remove the bedding material after use is also important. Furthermore, so as to avoid creating another environmental or disposal problem, a preferred bedding material should be able to be composted and be decomposable. Acceptable appearance prior to the decomposition and acceptable odor characteristics are also desirable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,345 Otogurro and U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,527 to Harke, et al. each incorporated herein by reference describe techniques for making kitty litter sized particles from cellulosic materials (paper fibers) while U.S. Pat. No. 4,931,139 to Phillips also incorporated herein by reference describes a latex bound absorbent material also made from fibers.